Soon as I get home from work I'll get to play with this:
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Have fun. I spent the last hour playing with mine. The more I played, the more I loved. Pretty much zero low end loss in Demhe mode. Very thick and squishy at extreme settings, very brutal OD type tones at low settings. The after knob is key to the feel of the pedal. I know this is based on an old Maestro fuzz, but it compares almost 100 percent to the sound of my Ampeg Scrambler clone, with the Ampeg beating it by a hair in the low end retention category. Of course, the Ampeg has a clean blend and the Carcosa doesn't. Highly impressed!
So I spent about an hour and a half messing with it, and it seems pretty dang cool. Most of the time I hung out in Demhe mode. When I compared it with my Blower Box, I found I still really liked the low end and sag of that pedal, so I'm trying to find some different tones that the Blower Box can't quite replicate. One thing I like to do is to crank the after knob to get that sputtering, dying sound.
So my clean tone is pretty mid-focused, with my SansAmp always on with these settings:
I found I really like these settings so far:
Based on the tight Hali bass fuzz setting in the PGS demo with much less treble and a bit less fuzz.
Overdrive-ish setting. One thing I like is that, like the Blower Box, it can do a very nice OD. However, my pedal was making a lot of noise when the volume was turned up on this setting.
Heavy fuzz setting. Different character than my Blower Box for sure, but not sure I want two effects doing similar things on the same board. Still gonna keep playing with it, of course! Pretty fun pedal so far.
So my clean tone is pretty mid-focused, with my SansAmp always on with these settings:
I found I really like these settings so far:
Based on the tight Hali bass fuzz setting in the PGS demo with much less treble and a bit less fuzz.
Overdrive-ish setting. One thing I like is that, like the Blower Box, it can do a very nice OD. However, my pedal was making a lot of noise when the volume was turned up on this setting.
Heavy fuzz setting. Different character than my Blower Box for sure, but not sure I want two effects doing similar things on the same board. Still gonna keep playing with it, of course! Pretty fun pedal so far.
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Really liking this for a splatty, low-fi kinda fuzz:
I've also started putting the Before knob at noon for the Hali fuzz setting. With a little more volume it sounds even better:
I've also started putting the Before knob at noon for the Hali fuzz setting. With a little more volume it sounds even better:
I think this pedal is helped a lot by the fact that the original Maestro wasn't bass-friendly, and isn't a legend the way the Brassmaster, Green Russian Muff, vintage RATs, Boss OC-2, etc. are. Without much of anything to compare it to, it stands out from the pack more, especially with the modifications to the original design. While it's not wholly original, it's definitely a more unique flavor of dirt.
I usually thought of myself as a one dirt pedal kind of guy who could just switch them out if I felt like it, but the Carcosa is such a different kind of dirt compared to my Blower Box (still my favorite, sorry DigiTechRep!) that I can justify keeping them both on the board.
I usually thought of myself as a one dirt pedal kind of guy who could just switch them out if I felt like it, but the Carcosa is such a different kind of dirt compared to my Blower Box (still my favorite, sorry DigiTechRep!) that I can justify keeping them both on the board.
I'm going to echo you guys and say this pedal had taken me by surprise. Not completely but I was quite surprised at how many sounds are in it. I want a DLX version so I could use one foot switch for OD then another when I want fuzz haha that would be the poopie. I'm not surpised at all that DOD made it though. DOD has always had some great to straight gems in their lineup. But now that Tom has been there and making things happen, its like great after great just keeps popping out and the Carcosa is no different. But the versatility and mix factor really blow me away. Plus like you said @skydivingninja its got all kinds of great flavor and texture in it that makes it truly unique. I have played with every day since I got it. I just keep wanting to plug in and play it! That is when I know I have a serious winner. It has quickly become a staple for me. Love this thing!
Bump the output. And don't go so high in the high pass or the before. I noticed past noon on the before really starts suckin the life out of the low end fast. I guess it depends on where the after is set too though. Keep the before and after before noon and give it more output.
The way I use Hali mode on bass is to start with the Hi-Cut all the way counter-clockwise, BEFORE @ 11:00 and AFTER all the way counter-clockwise, then I boost the output until the bass and the grind feels full. Then I'll s l o w l y turn up the Hi-Cut until I get my finger attack back. It usually ends up around @ 8:00-9:00.
Then I fiddle with the AFTER control a bit to find that awesome "spongy" spot that still retains low end.
Then I fiddle with the AFTER control a bit to find that awesome "spongy" spot that still retains low end.
Oh no I'll have to keep playing with this pedal to try that out. You monster. /s
